By Denise Renée Purdie
(This is a trip down memory lane, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna keep it up but I want to publish it now and see if anyone reads it before I decide. Lol. If you do, let me know about any typos I missed at 12:29 AM! For a start, my subheadings were inconsistent with case, but I don't think this thing changes case and I don't feel like going into another program. 😆🤣😂)
I’m going to see if I can remember how many times I’ve moved throughout my lifetime. I’m not sure if I should count the moves that my Mom made as I kind of went back-and-forth between her and my Granny’s so I’ll just count places I had beds and a refrigerator I could go into without asking.
Our family home, which was purchased in 1937 or thereabouts, has been the biggest constant in my life. In addition, the house I built with my now ex husband was another big deal in my journey as we bought the land and got to pick everything from the blueprint to the tile, curtains, brick and even where every socket and light switch went. That was dope and I hope to be able to do that again.
Childhood …
Perry … I think I was about five years old when that ended but I think I was there from a baby to five years. I had both of my parents with me during the day to day. It’s a shame I don’t remember it.
I think I was about five when my Mom and I went to San Diego, but again I don’t remember it. In retrospect, that may be one of the reasons I love San Diego so much. When I hit it big, I want to buy a beach house there.
Fremont. All I have are vague images of it having a lot of wood and it being very near to the Hot Bagel Bakery. I ate meat then and let me tell you their toasted turkey bagel sandwich was fire!!!
Let’s see …
Glenn. I had a cute little twin bed and my own room, but my (almost) life-sized Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls probably spent more time on the bed than I did.
Blacklidge … it was quite close to Ted’s Country Store which had an amazing deli. I’m sensing a pattern here. I may not remember much, but I clearly remember the food! 😆🤣😂
Adult-HOOD: The biggest hood there is and yes it is ghetto!!!
Sleepy Hollow. Well, it was really The Hollows. It was the first time I had stayed alone, at least until nine months later when my now ex husband got his visa to come from Australia to America.
Pantano Park Apartments. I’m not sure if that’s really the name, but we are going to run with it. We were at a crossroads deciding if we wanted to buy a house in America so while we figured it out we got a 2 BR/2 BA. We were right next to the pool and we had some great times with friends and family.
AUSTRALIAN YEARS
This feels like I’m outlining a book, but I don’t know if I have enough material for that book. I already have the title though … An American: ABroad. Get it?! Lol. I guess you had to be there!
26 McKirdy Way (Springvale). It was the house my ex-husband grew up in. We lived there with his mother and father for about six months until we found our own place. I was able to take care of his Mom and he was able to bond with her after living overseas for seven years. Even though I wonder if we would’ve stayed married if we stayed in America, I don’t begrudge the time because it really opened me up to some amazing experiences. Who knows, I may not have ever become a book publisher and book coach without that time there. 🤔 Deep.
Indeed, I’ve had a couple of "sliding door" momentous events, but that’s for another blog post!
1/15-17 Lyall Street (Cranbourne). That place was so cute. I’m pretty sure it was a two bedroom as we had our computer set up in one room ... but maybe not. It might’ve only had one bedroom and our computer was on the dining room table. I don’t really remember. But what I do remember was it light and airy and beautiful and I had such a good time there cooking and going to the nearby library. It was a beautiful time. Oh and there was a lovely garden although in Melbourne that is not a rare occurrence as the flora and fauna there are both spectacular. My auntie visited me there for my 30th birthday. And I think Granny came out to visit around that time as well (for my graduation from RMIT), but we had to move to Jacinta. Fortunately, she was able to visit our house while it was being built. It was at the foundation stage. When she came out again, some seven years later, she and my Mom got to stay with us at the same time which was dope!!!
Jacinta. While we were in the midst of building our dream house, the landlord said they were selling the place on Lyall which was a bummer. I had to find a place and I wasn’t excited about it but I knew it would be temporary. It was off the beaten track and not near the side of town I was used to. It was MEH, but we survived.
8 Sinatra Way. That house was bae. It was where I spent some of my most amazing days and some of the worst … moving on …
DOCKLANDS
After a cataclysmic life event, the break up from my ex-husband, I decided to move to the city rather than going back home to the states. I’m still pondering if it was the right decision as I had the money to invest in real estate back home, but I ended up spending it there. I have to say that I enjoyed my time though. A lot!!! 😂
Warrandyte
I ended up rooming with a friend, which is probably a bad idea, but it was a beautiful area and for the most part I had a good time there. I lost a lot of weight for sure as the (former) friend was a chef and introduced me to some great aloe vera products. It was also fun going on trips with my first network marketing business and my own business. I met a lot of amazing people.
BACK TO AMERICA
I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details, but I came back for Thanksgiving in 2011 at my Granny’s request and I never went back to Australia. I know. 🥺😱🤷🏽♀️ Long story. I may or may not ever tell that tale. It makes me tired (and sad) just thinking about it.
Fast-forwarding, me and Mom lived together in a couple spots and did so until she passed away.
One was on Campbell … she was there before I came back and the other was on Belvedere. We actually stumbled upon it during some of our errands. Fortunately I was able to speak to the realtor, Russell long, a super nice guy and we moved into a cute two bedroom. (It reminded me of Lyall in Australia.) I was so blessed to get that time with her, even though we sometimes drove each other crazy.
After my Mom passed away, I stayed at our family home for about a year by myself. (That was quite a journey). I went back to school and my Aunt’s family was kind enough to pick me up from school so I didn’t have to take the bus in the dead of night. I stayed with them on South Pantano Edge or something of that nature and then we moved to a “slum dog millionaire” apartment. 🤦🏿♀️🤦🏿♀️🤦🏿♀️ Our next stop was a nice place by the University of Arizona. That chapter has ended, but it has been a blessing to be with my family while I recovered from losing Mom, although frankly that is a lifelong process that will not end until I see her again. Keep the light on for me Mommy!
So I don’t know if I remembered all of the spots, but that is an overview of my moving journey. With every move in each locality, I definitely believe you learn something not only about the new environment, but about yourself. I’m excited about my next chapter and wonder how many more moves I will have before the final checkmate.
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